Tour de France

It was the fourth championship overall for the British cyclist

(Newser) -
Riding a bright yellow bike to match his shiny leader's jersey, defending champion Chris Froome won his fourth and most challenging Tour de France title on Sunday, the AP reports. The 32-year-old Kenyan-born British rider finished 54 seconds ahead of Colombian Rigoberto Uran overall, the smallest margin of his...
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Pawel Poljanski shows what the grueling Tour de France can do

(Newser) -
Just how onerous is it to cycle 2,200 miles in 23 days with just two days off? A "freaky" photo leaves no doubt, per Mashable . Sixteen stages into the Tour de France, 27-year-old Polish rider Pawel Poljanski posted a photo to Instagram showing what he says are his...
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Chris Froome uninjured in Tuesday crash

(Newser) -
Chris Froome will be aiming for his fourth Tour de France victory—and his third in a row —when the famous race kicks off in July. But he was almost pushed to the sidelines. The British cyclist, currently one of the best in the world, says a motorist deliberately...
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Briton wins cycling's elite race again

(Newser) -
Sharing beer and Champagne with teammates, Chris Froome celebrated his third Tour de France title in four years on Sunday, reports the AP . The Kenyan-born British rider finished safely at the back of the main pack during the final stage, arm-in-arm with his teammates during the mostly ceremonial final stage...
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'I just started running,' says Tour leader Chris Froome

(Newser) -
Here's something you don't see everyday: the reigning Tour de France winner ditching his bike and attempting to continue the race on foot. The Guardian reports Chris Froome's bicycle was damaged in a crash on Mount Ventoux Thursday, forcing him to hoof it up the hill until...
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Spaniard drops out of race that made him famous, citing fever

(Newser) -
Diminished by a fever and still reeling from crashes on the opening two days of the race, two-time champion Alberto Contador pulled out of the Tour de France during the toughest Pyrenean stage on Sunday, reports the AP . Slightly more than 60 miles from the end of Stage 9 from...
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Briton's 2nd victory was called before he actually crossed finish line

(Newser) -
Britain's Chris Froome has officially won his second Tour de France today, though rain guaranteed his victory long before he crossed the finish line in what the AP calls a "spectacular three-week slog of furious racing." Tour organizers earlier stopped the race clock after the first lap...
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29-year-old is self-designated 'flag-bearer of anti-doping'

(Newser) -
Italy's Vincenzo Nibali has won the Tour de France, becoming the first Italian to win cycling's greatest race in 16 years by chiseling a lead over his main rivals a few seconds at a time and dominating them in the mountains. The 29-year-old Sicilian, who called himself "...
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2nd win in two years for UK

(Newser) -
British cyclist Chris Froome has won the 100th Tour de France, the second consecutive title for a Briton, with Bradley Wiggins winning in 2012. Froome rode into Paris in style—in the yellow race leader's jersey he took on Stage 8 and never relinquished. In its final stage, riders...
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Britain's Mark Cavendish gets sprayed

(Newser) -
British bicyclist Mark Cavendish suffered some seriously unsportsmanlike conduct during the 11th stage of the Tour de France today when a spectator sprayed him with urine. The most unfortunate sentence of all, courtesy of the BBC : "The liquid was thrown from a bottle with the 28-year-old Cavendish initially thinking...
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He says on eve of new race

(Newser) -
With the 100th Tour de France set to begin, Lance Armstrong as good as called every previous winner a cheater. "It's impossible to win the Tour de France without doping because the tour is an endurance event where oxygen is decisive," he told France's La Monde,...
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Bradley Wiggins has choice words for Armstrong

(Newser) -
The latest Tour de France winner has some choice words about a cyclist who once inspired him. Watching Lance Armstrong claim to Oprah that he hadn't doped in 2009 and 2010 , "I thought, 'You lying bastard,'" Bradley Wiggins tells the Telegraph . "I can still...
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Sources say he will now testify against cycling officials

(Newser) -
Lance Armstrong has finally come clean and admitted using performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France. The cyclist confessed to Oprah Winfrey during an interview taped yesterday afternoon, sources tell the AP and the New York Times . Insiders say Armstrong is now planning to testify against officials from the...
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Outside editor Hal Espen admits he looked the other way

(Newser) -
Now that Lance Armstrong has resigned from Livestrong and lost his Tour de France titles , someone is feeling guilty: the editor of Outside magazine. Hal Espen lionized Armstrong in the sports mag for years, shrugging off doping accusations and dismissing evidence that drugs had corrupted the sport. "In its...
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He gets annual honor from English town

(Newser) -
Poor Lance Armstrong. He lost his Tour de France titles , and now an English town is going to burn him in effigy in a big way. Edenbridge has chosen Armstrong as the celeb to go up in flames in its annual Bonfire Night celebrations on Nov. 5, reports NBC's...
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Tour de France champ calls for presidents of International Cycling Union to resign

(Newser) -
Three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond called for the resignation of two prominent leaders of the International Cycling Union in a fiery open letter posted on his Facebook page last night, reports al-Jazeera . UCI is the sport's governing body, and the very group that stripped Lance Armstrong of...
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Move follows cycling body's decision over doping

(Newser) -
Now it's really official—Lance Armstrong is no longer a Tour de France champion . The proof: He removed his titles from his Twitter profile, which has 3.8 million followers, CBS News reports. His profile had proclaimed that he was a "father of 5 amazing kids, 7-time Tour...
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Armstrong got the money for winning six straight titles

(Newser) -
Not only has Lance Armstrong lost his Tour de France titles , but he may owe $7.5 million. The company that insured a bonus for his run of consecutive Tour victories now wants its money back, saying Armstrong's alleged use of performance-enhancing drugs annuls their contract, ESPN reports. "...
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USADA's effort was a 'slam job': Buzz Bissinger

(Newser) -
Lance Armstrong may have been stripped of his Tour de France titles , but he hasn't lost his legacy. This is a man who inspired us by overcoming life-threatening cancer to achieve the seemingly impossible. The cyclist "is a hero, one of the few we have left in a...
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Armstrong hasn't lost any major sponsors ... yet

(Newser) -
Nike says it will not drop Lance Armstrong as a spokesman despite his latest doping trouble . "Lance has stated his innocence and has been unwavering on this position," said the company, his major sponsor. "Nike plans to continue to support Lance and the Lance Armstrong Foundation, a...
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